In March, a viral leaked email from a Wall Street Journal manager instructed newly remote workers to keep managers informed if they’re “taking a break, conducting an interview, in a meeting, or will otherwise be unavailable for a while.”
This is how you ruin remote work.
Managers might as well ask to be informed every time an employee takes a bio break, eats a Snickers bar, ties their shoes, sneezes, scratches their elbow, or tidies their desk.
I understand where the impulse comes from. Millions of people are working remotely for the first time, and managers are trying to adjust. Most are used to seeing their direct reports in person throughout the day, and think this gives them an idea of what exactly folks are doing with their time. But here’s the thing. Good managers don’t actually care what folks do with their time. They care if they get their job done or not. Read More
